The Streptococci make up a medically important genera of microbes known to cause several types of disease in humans, including, for example, otitis media, conjunctivitis, pneumonia, bacteremia, meningitis, sinusitis, pleural empyema and endocarditis, and most particularly meningitis, such as for example infection of cerebrospinal fluid. Since its isolation more than 100 years ago, Streptococcus pneumoniae has been one of the more intensively studied microbes. For example, much of our early understanding that DNA is, in fact, the genetic material was predicated on the work of Griffith and of Avery, Macleod and McCarty using this microbe. Despite the vast amount of research with Streptococcus pneumoniae, many questions concerning the virulence of this microbe remain. It is particularly preferred to employ Streptococcal genes and gene products as targets for the development of antibiotics.
Carter reported the sequence of the Escherichia coil K-12 edd and eda genes of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway. A. T. Carter, B. M. Pearson, J. R. Dickinson & W. E. Lancashire Gene 130: 155-6 (1993)
Clearly, there is a need for factors that may be used to screen compounds for antibiotic activity and which factors may also be used to determine their roles in pathogenesis of infection, dysfunction and disease. There is also a need for identification and characterization of such factors and their antagonists and agonists which can play a role in preventing, ameliorating or correcting infections, dysfunctions or diseases.
The polypeptides of the invention have amino acid sequence homology to a known B. subtilis glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase protein.